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MCM/70
The MCM/70 was one of the first microcomputers released. It was also the first portable computer on the market. It had an 800Khz processor, between 2 and 8kb of RAM, 32kb of ROM, and a tiny one-line plasma display for output. Not every model had a battery for portable use, but according to some sources custom models could be ordered with an expensive battery option that enabled it to be run without an available electric socket. It is not known how long it could operate on battery power. -
Osborne 1
http://oldcomputers.net/osborne.htmlThe Osborne 1 was the first popular portable computer. It's design was created by Adam Osbourne, and the most important specification requirement at that time was that the Osbourne 1 had to fit under an airplane seat. Never mind the fact that this left the Osbourne 1 with a five inch screen that could only display 24 lines of text with 52 characters in each line.
This $1795 dollar state-of-the-art portable computer also came with an amazing 4 MHz processor; 64kb of ram. -
Kaypro II
http://oldcomputers.net/kayproii.htmlNot to be outdone, Non-Linear Systems released their Kaypro II portable computer in 1982.
The Kaypro II also retailed for $1795, but it was clearly a better deal than the Osbourne 1, because for the same price it had a 9 inch screen that displayed 24 lines of 80 characters. A durable metal carrying case kept this expensive investment safe, while at the same time boosting the weight of the computer to a solid 26 pounds. -
Compaq Portable
Compaq Computer Corporation got their first portable computer on the market in late 1982.
The Compaq Portable sold for $3950, twice the price of its predecessors. However this was a small price to pay, for the privileged owner of a Compaq Portable was able to enjoy a blazing 4.77 MHz processor and 128 to 640 kb of memory.
The Compaq Portable was compatible with the IBM PC and MSDOS, making it more flexible than other similar offerings. -
Grid Compass
The Grid Compass' claim to fame lies in the fact that it was the first portable computer to enjoy the "clamshell" design, in which the screen folds down flat over the keyboard.
It's Intel 8086 processor pumped out about 8 MHz of computing power for working with its 256kb of RAM. The bright 320x200 pixel screen was considered high resolution, and allowed 80 by 24 text. Unfortunately there were no internal floppy or hard drives, though these could be attached externally via a special bus. -
TRS Model 100
The Tandy Radio Shack Model 100 was one of the first portable computers that was remotely affordable. At the time it cost $599, and came with a 2.4MHz processor, 8-32K of RAM and a 40x8 character LCD display. It ran off of 4 AA batteries, and lasted up to sixteen hours on batteries.
The computer was powered by Microsoft BASIC stored in ROM. The TRS Model 100 had ports for an optional 300 baud modem, and a bar code reader. Data was stored on an audio cassette. -
IBM PC Convertible
The IBM PC Convertible introduced power management, including a "sleep mode" designed to help its users avoid the long floppy boot process.
The bright LCD screen offered an amazing 640x200 resolution that was fine for text, but squashed pictures terribly. But the amazing power management features, such as not clocking the processor when it was not in use, helped this -
Compaq SLT/286
The powerful Compaq SLT/286 was the first portable computer to feature 640x480 VGA. The higher resolution graphics were handled by the 12 MHz 80C286 processor. A 20mb hard drive offered plenty of internal storage space for this early computer.
This early laptop was 14 pounds, and it was fully eight inches thick with the lid down. The Compaq SLT/286 started at $5399. -
Zenith Minisport
The Zenith Minisport was the first, and only, computer to use the 2 inch floppy, which was designed specifically for this miniature-sized portable computer. Unfortunately, these specialized floppies were much more expensive than their traditionally sized counterparts, and this is one reason why the Zenith Minisport was not a great success.
The Zenith Minisport ran MSDOS off of an early RAM drive. The OS was stored in RAM. -
Macintosh Portable
http://lowendmac.com/pb/macintosh-portable.htmlThe Macintosh Portable was never a very popular portable computer. It had a 640x480 black and white display, and a 16 MHz processor at a time when most portable computers were running at 10-12 MHz. It also had an amazing ten hour battery lifetime.
However, the Macintosh Portable weighed about 17 pounds, making it considerably heavier than most people liked to carry.
Unfortunately, the $6500 price tag also made it far more expensive than its lighter competition. -
IBM Poquet PC
The Poquet PC was a surprisingly powerful minicomputer that ran DOS. It ran off two AA batteries for weeks or months because of advanced power management features such as shutting off the CPU when it wasn't in use.
In a way the Poquet PC may look like nothing more than an advanced calculator, but it ran WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and other old DOS programs.
The Poquet PC weighed 1.2 pounds and had a 7Mhz processor and 640kb of memory. -
Macintosh Powerbook
The Macintosh PowerBook featured 4mb of RAM, a 16 MHz processor, and up to 80mb of hard drive space. This PowerBook created a new style of "notebook" portable computers. Unlike its predecessors, the PowerBook's lid covered the entire top of the computer, rather than just the front half.
The Macintosh PowerBook also moved the built-in trackball to a central location in front of the keyboard, and this innovation quickly became standard in portable computing devices. -
IBM ThinkPad 700
The IBM ThinkPad was the first portable computer to boast a 10.4 inch color TFT display. It also had a 25 MHz processor, a 120mb hard drive, and the Windows 3.1 operating system. It's 6.5lb weight was slightly heavier than the Macintosh PowerBook. The ThinkPad also introduced the TrackPoint, a small red pointing stick embedded in the keyboard and used to navigate the mouse around the screen. The ThinkPad 700 cost $4350. -
Macintosh Powerbook 500
http://lowendmac.com/pb/powerbook-500-series.htmlApple's PowerBook 500 was the first portable computer to include a touchpad, or trackpad, for mouse input. This innovation soon replaced trackballs on all Apple computers. This portable computer was also the first to incorporate 16 bit stereo sound.
The PowerBook 500 had a Motorola 68LC040 CPU that could be upgraded to a PowerPC procesor, up to 500mb of hard drive storage, a 1.44mb floppy drive, and up to 40mb of RAM. The PowerBook 500 weighed 7.3 pounds. -
IBM ThinkPad 770E
http://mybizio.com.com/laptops/ibm-thinkpad-770e-windows/1707-3121_7-126803.htmlThe IBM ThinkPad 770E weighed 7.7lbs, and packed a 266 MHz processor, 32mb of RAM, and a 5gb hard drive with Windows 95 installed.
The battery life was about 3.5 hours. -
Apple iBook G3
The Apple iBook was greatly influenced by the colorful, transparent plastic styling of the iMac. It's rounded shape also mirrors the lines of the iMac.
A key feature of the Apple iBook is that it was the first computer to include integrated wireless technology, with a wireless antenna built into the display bezel.
The iBook came equipped with a 300 MHz PowerPC processor, 32 or 64mb of memory, a 3.2 or 6 gb hard drive, and a CDROM. It weighed 6.7 lbs and had a six hour battery life. Original mo -
Apple iBook G3 Dual USB
http://youtu.be/_X9PWjUD9gUThe 12 inch iBook released in 2001 did away with the bright colors and round curves of its predecessor. Instead, the no nonsense white coloring and solid edges gave the laptop a sturdy, professional feel.
In addition, this iBook weighed in at only 4.9 pounds. The battery powered this 500 mhz computer for five hours. The 12 inch white iBook also enjoyed 64 or 128mb of RAM, and a 10gb hard drive. -
IBM Lenovo Tablet PC
The Lenovo X41 introduced an exciting new laptop/tablet conversion feature that made it truly unique. Add to this the 1.5 GHz processor, 512mb of RAM, and a 40gb hard drive, all packaged in a tiny tablet that weighed only 3.5 pounds.
Also included in this fascinating design was a fingerprint reader to keep this portable computer completely secure.
The Lenovo X41 was the wave of the future. Unfortunately, the advanced handwriting analysis software needed to make the tablet functionality operate -
OLPC XO Laptop
The XO Laptop was created by the One Laptop per Child organization. The goal of the XO Laptop is to provide rugged, portable computing to the world's poorest children. This means that the XO has to be cheap, efficient, and sturdy.
The 433 MHz processor powering this laptop sips power, which is very important in places where electricity may be scarce, or not available at all. With 256mb of RAM, a 1200 x 900 resolution screen that is visible in bright sunlight, powerful mesh wireless network func -
Asus EeePC 4G
The ASUS EeePC introduced a new wave of small, less powerful, portable computers called "netbooks." These small laptops are designed to offer basic internet and email connectivity, but they aren't powerful enough to play modern games, and they are so small that they are not ergonomically suited for use as a primary computing device.
The EeePC 4G came with a seven inch screen, a 4gb solid state drive, 512mb of memory, and a 900MHz processor, all packaged in a 2 lb device that runs on batteries. -
MacBook Air
http://youtu.be/E98Eyl5Et0wIn 2008 the MacBook Air made history as the thinnest laptop to date. The laptop is only .76 inches in height and has a 13.3 inch glossy screen that displays at 1280x800 resolution.
The MacBook Air comes with a 1.8Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, an 80gb solid-state hard drive, and 2gb of memory. Its trackpad supports multi-touch gestures like those of the MacBook Pro or iPhone.
